Quote of the Week
“ The fans were great. They were giving me some trouble in the seventh inning, but once I got past that, they started kind of cheering me on. It was cool ”
– James Paxton, after his no-hitter
This Week in Baseball
The Darkest of Knights...
On the clock to trade him before he would become a free agent, the Mets salvaged something out of Matt Harvey, trading him on Tuesday to the team they happen to be facing this week, the Cincinnati Reds. Harvey was one of the best pitchers in baseball less than three years ago. He will now be a reclamation project on the worst team in baseball. It's like the old song goes, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. But if I can't make it there, maybe Cincinatti?"
Bombs Away...
For the first time since 1953, the New York Yankees won 17 of 18 ballgames. Wednesday night they moved into sole possession of first place after they rallied against Craig Kimbrel to beat the Boston Red Sox who had started the season with their own hot streak of 17-2. This is really the only time it's considered "good" or "not against the law" for adult men to go streaking.
Nice No-Hitter, eh...
James Paxton delivered a no-hitter for the Mariners on Tuesday night—stifling the Blue Jays for a 5-0 victory. His last pitch, his 99th, went 99 mph. Even cooler, Paxton pitched the masterpiece in his native land of Canada. "Big Maple" was born in Ladner, British Columbia, and joins Dick Fowler as the only Canadians to accomplish the feat. Even cooler than cool, or ice cold, or whatever—this is not only the third no-hitter of 2018, but also the third different country one has been thrown in.
Lock Him Up...
Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was arrested Tuesday after being charged with assaulting a woman. Details of the incident were not released, but the pitcher was released from custody and has a court appearance scheduled for June 18. Osuna was put on paid administrative leave until the league has a chance to look into the matter. I think we would have prefered if Osuna was the one who was no-hitting.
No Wrist, No Reward...
Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price was scratched from his scheduled Wednesday night start against the New York Yankees on Tuesday due to numbness in his pitching fingers. Price has been diagnosed with a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Maybe now the Red Sox will stop having him do all that typing between games.
On the Air
“ If a 100 mph fastball gets fouled off into my nuts... just put me in a chemical coma for three months. ”
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Episode 65: Disneyland; James Paxton; Albert Pujols 3,000; Ichiro; Dylan Bundy Blunder; Matt Harvey Purgatory; Power Rankings; NBA Playoffs; Taylor Swift-Katy Perry
First and foremost, how about that James Paxton, eh? Dominate no-no from the Big Maple. And James Paxton couldn’t have better timing—Episode 65 of Foul Territory: A Baseball Podcast is, indeed, the James Paxton edition. In addition to Paxton’s dominant …
Going Deep
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Does a Baseball Manager Actually Make a Difference?
If a baseball manager is unable to show up for a game, does it really hinder team performance? Manager impact has always been mysterious. Managers come off as old, older and often accompanied by a short fuse. We’ve seen coaches …
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez Making Major League Push
For the past few years the league has been getting younger and younger in an attempt to maximize player value but also to let talented prospects prove themselves at the Major League level. It just so happens that there have …
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Looks Like the End for Ichiro Between the Lines
I’ll always remember the one and only time I saw Ichiro Suzuki (and we don’t really need to use his last name, do we?) play at Safeco Field in Seattle. It was 2002, when he was the reigning AL Rookie …
Off Base
